Inkstand



UNITED STAIlSgS PATENT OFFICE;

THOMAS S. HUDSON, OF EAST CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSTTS.

INKSTAND.

Specification of Letters Patent No.`22,429, dated December 28, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. HUDSON, of East Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Inkstand; and I do hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure l, denotes a top View; Fig. Q, a side elevation, and Fig. 3, a longitudinal section thereof.

rI`he inkstand on which my improvement is engrafted consists of a main ink vessel or reservoir A, and a receiving cup or vessel, B, applied together by means of a flexible diaphragm, C, and constructed in such manner that ink when contained in the reservoir, A, may be caused to pass upward into the cup whenever the said cup 'may be depressed, the said cup being provided with a tube, a, extending downward into the liquid contents of the reservoir. Furthermore there is applied to the ink reservoir, B, and its cover, D, mechanism substantially as hereinafter described, whereby, not only by the act of elevating the cover oft1 the receiver, the latter shall be depressed so as to cause the ink to rise into it, but by the act of lowering such cover toward the ink receiver, the latter will be made to rise in manner to cause the ink within it to flow back into the reservoir.

The nature of my improvement consists in the applica-tion of a vent hole within the flexible diaphragm and with respect to the ink receiver in such manner that when the latter is in its highest position or covered, the air within the reservoir may have free communication with that outside of the reservoir, and when the ink receiver is depressed it shall serve as a valve to cover the vent hole and prevent any communication between the air within and that without the reservoir.

In the drawings, the ink receiver or cup B, is represented as supported by a lever provided with an elevator spring or by a double spring E, supported by and so as to turn on a fulcrum, Z), carried by a projection, c, from the main cap, F, of the inkstand, such cap being fitted to the neck part G, of the ink reservoir by a bayonet connect-ion or catches, e, c, by which the said part, F, may be applied to the part, G, or re- `moved therefrom as circumstances may lrequire. The cover, D, turns on a hinge or fnlcruin, f, and has a cam or projection, g, extending back from it and resting upon the upper lever of the lever spring E, and so that by the act of elevating the cover o the top of the cap, B, such cup shall be forced downward, it being elevated by the spring, E, whenever the act of lowering the cover may take place. During depression of the cup, it will so force downward the elastic diaphragm, C, as to compress the air within the reservoir A, the result of which will be that when the said reservoir is charged with ink, a portion of the ink will be caused to flow up int'o the cup.

In constructing the diaphragm, I make it of a circular thin piece of vulcanized india rubber as shown in top view in Fig. 4, it being provided with a hole L, at its center for reception of the tube, ca) and another hole z', at a short distance therefrom. The external edge of the diaphragm I insert within a groove made in an inflexible or metallic annulus, la, which by proper means I compress firmly upon the annulus so secure it entirely around its circumference. In other words, the annulus at and around its circumference is to be firmly attached to the ring. The lower part of the cup B, is made convex, and the hole, z', is so arranged with respect to the same that when the cup is depressed, the said hole, z', shall be closed or covered, the hole being uncovered when the cup is elevated. The object of the said hole, z', is to prevent expansion of the air within the ink holder and so as to cause the ink to rise into the cup to such an extent as to iill the same and flow over its rim or upper edge, such expansion of the air being liable to take place by any sudden increase of temperature.

Vhen the cap, F, is pressed toward the neck part, G, by the bayonet connection and upon the elastic diaphragm resting on the said neck part, an air tight joint will be produced. Now, in order to prevent the diaphragm while being depressed by the cup from being drawn more or less out of place at the joint so as to affect the elasticity of that part of it within the neck, the annulus or ring 7c, is employed, as by means of it that part of the diaphragm which encompasses the joint and is between it and the annulus has its elasticity preserved by the annulus, and is so held in place by it, as to prevent the annulus :troni being drawn out of place between the clamping surfaces.

When the cover is down upon the cup, B, the latter will be protected from dust and the ink will be out of the cup, but by the act of raising the cover, the ink Will be caused to rise upward into the cup so as to be easily accessible to a writer.

I do not claim an inkstand composed of a main ink reservoir and a cup or ink receiver furnished with a tube and connected with the main reservoir by a ilexible or elastic diaphragm, as such is not new; nor do I claini in combination with the ink reservoir or cup B, and its cover D, mechanism substantially as described, whereby by the act THOS. S. HUDSON.

Vitnesses:

R. I-I. EDDY, F. I). HALE, Jr. 

